HSLS Administrative Secretary Retires after Four Decades of Service

Mary Lou O’Shea, HSLS administrative secretary, retired at the end of June after almost 40 years of service. During her tenure, she worked under five library directors, including: Carroll F. Reynolds, Laurabelle Eakin, June Bandemer, Pat Mickelson, and Barbara Epstein.

Over the years, O’Shea witnessed a number of technological changes. One of her more notable memories was the transition from electric typewriters to computers, and the impact these changes had on her workflow. In 1973, when O’Shea began her career at HSLS, her primary office equipment was an IBM electric typewriter. Ten years later, she moved up to a Xerox Memorywriter with correctable ribbon, and eventually a computer. Continue reading →

HealthCAS Cohort-3 Visits Pitt

The third cohort of students enrolled in Pitt’s online Certificate of Advanced Study in Health Sciences Librarianship (HealthCAS), visited HSLS for an orientation to the course and the University. The students came from Illinois, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia.

HealthCAS students, faculty, and the project team came together for a 2.5 day program in June.  In the cohort model, students share professional experiences, learn from each other, and form a network of peers to turn to throughout their careers. The onsite visit gives them and the faculty the chance to connect on a more personal level. This is significant in HealthCAS as students are required to collaborate on several online group projects during the year.

The HealthCAS orientation included an overview of the program, the curriculum and objectives, a meeting with instructor teams, and an explanation of policy and procedures at Pitt, with an emphasis on academic integrity in writing.  Reviews of good research and writing practices were also included, as well as a presentation by faculty from the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy that introduced students to the importance of interprofessional education.

Though the schedule was full, there was also time for fun.  A visit to the Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning gave the students a taste of Pitt’s rich history and its international connections. On a beautiful Pittsburgh day, students “quacked” on the Just Ducky Tour, had dinner at the Hard Rock Café at Station Square, and rode the Monongahela Incline to the top of Mount Washington to enjoy the spectacular Pittsburgh skyline.

HealthCAS is funded by a three-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to Pitt’s iSchool and HSLS. The grant was extended to a fourth year to include the 2012-13 academic year. The program consists of three semesters of coursework. Each semester covers one four-credit course: (1) Libraries in Health Care Environments, (2) Collections and Resources in Health Care Environments, and (3) Reference Services and Instruction in Health Care Environments. The three-credit Independent Research Project spans all three semesters. HSLS faculty librarians develop and teach the curriculum.

Further information about HealthCAS is available from the iSchool or HSLS.

~ Ester Saghafi

HSLS Staff News

The HSLS Staff News section includes recent HSLS presentations, publications, staff changes, staff promotions, degrees earned, etc.

News

Sue Burke is working part-time for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Regional office (NN/LM MAR). In addition to her duties as document delivery specialist, Burke is providing administrative support for the NN/LM MAR staff. Burke began working at HSLS in 1989, first in the Circulation Department, and then transferred to the Document Delivery Department in 1998. She will continue to work in these departments on a part-time basis.

Barbara Epstein, HSLS director, has been re-appointed to a four-year term on the Joint Legislative Task Force of the Medical Library Association and the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries.

Jeff Husted has been promoted to HSLS Head of Collections. In this position, he is responsible for collection development of electronic and print resources, including materials selection and acquisition, analysis of usage and trends, vendor relations, serials management, and oversight of the acquisition budget. As a member of Management Council, he participates in overall library planning and management. Jeff has been at HSLS since 1997, when he earned his BS degree in biology at Pitt. He worked in various positions in Technical Services, rising through a series of promotions.  In 2006, he was appointed acquisitions manager, and continued to steadily assume more responsibility in that area. He earned an MLIS from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences in 2009, and was appointed acquisitions librarian and then collections librarian.

Tristan Lucchetti, formerly NN/LM MAR administrator, has moved into the HSLS director’s office to become HSLS Business Manager. In his new position, Lucchetti will oversee the financial operations of the NN/LM MAR, and will also assume responsibility for HSLS business operations and human resource functions, including budget monitoring and planning, employment/payroll records, and travel and reimbursement requests.

Nancy Tannery, senior associate director, has been appointed a member of the National Library of Medicine’s Literature Selection Technical Review Committee that recommends journals to be indexed in MEDLINE/PubMed.

Publications

Jonathon Erlen, history of medicine librarian, published “Disability studies: Disabilities abstracts” in The Review of Disability Studies: An International Journal, 8(2):67-68, 2012, with co-author Megan Conway.

Farewell

Ruth Deer, HSLS document delivery specialist, retired at the end of June after 12 years at Falk Library. Ruth was highly entertaining and always helpful and generous. Her festive outfits will be missed during the holidays and Steeler season. Deer looks forward to spending more time with her young grandson.

Mary Lou O’Shea, HSLS administrative secretary, retired from the University at the end of June. For a retrospective look at O’Shea’s 40-year career, please see “HSLS Administrative Secretary Retires after Four Decades of Service” in this issue.

We wish both Ruth and Mary Lou a wonderful, healthy retirement!

Classes September-October

HSLS offers classes on database searching, software applications such as Adobe Photoshop, bibliographic management, molecular biology and genetics, and library orientations. For more information, visit the online course descriptions.

Classes are held on the first floor of Falk Library (200 Scaife Hall) in Classroom 1 and Conference Room B, and on the second floor in Classroom 2. All classes are open to faculty, staff and students of the schools of the health sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. They are also open to UPMC residents and fellows.

No registration is required for any of these classes. Seating for classes is first-come, first-served, until the class is full. Classes marked with an asterisk (*) qualify for American Medical Association Category 2 continuing education credit.

Class schedules are subject to change. Please consult the online class calendar for the most current information.

Faculty, staff and students of the schools of the health sciences will need a valid Pitt ID or e-mail account to attend these classes. UPMC residents/fellows will need to show their UPMC IDs.

 

HSLS ORIENTATION

Introduction to HSLS Resources and Services at Falk Library
(Meet inside entrance to Library)

Monday, September 10 9-10 a.m.

Also offered upon request to groups or individuals. Call 412-648-8866.

SEARCHING DATABASES

Painless PubMed* (Falk Library Classroom 1)

Wednesday, September 5 11 a.m.-noon
Thursday, September 13 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, September 18 noon-1 p.m.
Friday, September 28 10-11 a.m.
Friday, October 5 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 10 9-10 a.m.
Monday, October 15 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Friday, October 26 1-2 p.m.

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND GENETICS RESOURCES

Locating Gene/Protein Information* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, October 3 1-3 p.m.

Genome Browsers* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, October 10 1-3 p.m.

Microarray Data Analysis* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, October 17 1-3 p.m.

Gene Regulation Research* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, October 24 1-3 p.m.

Introduction to CLC Main Workbench* (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Wednesday, October 31 1-3 p.m.

SOFTWARE TRAINING

EndNote Basics

Tuesday, September 11 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Falk Library Conference Room B)
Wednesday, October 24 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (Falk Library Classroom 2)

PowerPoint for Beginners (Falk Library Classroom 1)

Wednesday, September 19 noon-2 p.m.

The WOW Factor: PowerPoint for Posters (Falk Library Classroom 2)

Tuesday, October 16 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Adobe Photoshop

Tuesday, September 25 noon-2 p.m. (Falk Library Classroom 1)
Tuesday, October 30 12:30-2:30 p.m. (Falk Library Classroom 2)

CUSTOMIZED CLASSES

Customized classes can be developed for your department, course, or other group.

 

How Can the Library Help in the Systematic Review Development Process?

In early 2011, the Institute of Medicine released Standards for Systematic Reviews. Standard 3.1 that calls for systematic reviewers to work with a librarian or other information professional when conducting literature searches for systematic reviews. Additionally, the standard advises that a librarian or other information professional be involved in the peer review of the search strategies.

The following list expands and specifies the potential ways a librarian can contribute to the systematic review team:

  • Provide guidance on determining if a systematic review has already been done on your topic
  • Prepare and conduct literature searches for the systematic review
  • Peer review of systematic review search strategies
  • Provide guidance on the reference management of the located studies
  • Document delivery (ordering the full text of articles not available at our institution)
  • Documenting and writing the search methods for the review
  • Updating literature searches

Health Sciences Library System (HSLS) reference librarians have expertise in systematic review searching. They are available as potential collaborators for University of Pittsburgh systematic review teams. To request a librarian to help with your systematic review, contact the Main Desk at 412-648-8866 or e-mail Ask a Librarian. Search preparation and processing can take as long as three months, therefore it is advisable to put in your requests early in the process and to engage the librarian in the first stages of planning for a systematic review.

HSLS librarians have collaborated on the systematic reviews listed below, and several others are in process:

~ Ahlam Saleh

AccessMedicine’s Mobile Version

AccessMedicine’s mobile version can keep you connected and productive no matter where you are, day or night. The mobile version is easy to use and navigation is simple. It’s available to Pitt and UPMC users through the HSLS subscription to the full AccessMedicine site.

Contents

AccessMedicine mobile contains a scaled-down version of the full AccessMedicine site and features essential resources, such as:

  •  Harrison’s Online
  • CURRENT Medical Diagnosis and Treatment 2011
  • Picture Galleries from Fitzpatrick’s Color Atlas and Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology, 6th edition
  • Clinician’s Pocket Reference: The Scut Monkey, 11th edition
  • CURRENT Practice Guidelines in Primary Care 2009
  • Diagnostic Tests from Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests, 5th edition
  • Quick Answers
  • Diagnosaurus
  • Drug Monographs

Continue reading →

Director’s Reflections…What Do English Coffee Houses and Libraries Have in Common?

The month of May is a very busy one for medical librarians as we gather at the Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association, our main professional organization. This year the meeting was in Seattle, a beautiful city with many similarities to Pittsburgh: it’s green and hilly, with a vibrant downtown and a major university. They drink lots more coffee than we do, though.

Several HSLS librarians were able to attend, and taught workshops and presented papers and posters (described elsewhere in this issue). The meeting offers valuable opportunities to meet colleagues from across the country and around the world to make connections and share ideas about projects to work on at home.
Continue reading →

Introducing the HSLS Scholarly Communication LibGuide

Are you interested learning more about open access or scholarly publishing? The new HSLS Scholarly Communication LibGuide is now available, providing a wide range of information and guidance on academic publishing issues for the University of Pittsburgh’s health sciences community. The guide incorporates the previous NIH Public Access Policy Web site, and has been expanded to cover the basics of open access, author rights, publishing and journal selection tips, and the evolving landscape of impact metrics.

http://hsls.libguides.com/scholarlycommunication

On the front page, you’ll find several brief modules that introduce the open access concept, including a video from the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition describing the academic publication process and the benefits of open access. Other media of interest include live feeds to The Scholarly Kitchen blog and Twitter postings from open access experts that support current awareness in this rapidly developing area.

Gain a better understanding of authors’ rights and responsibilities by viewing informative videos on copyright, and then refer to related Web sites and other information resources.

Considering where to publish? Directories and other tools found under “Tools for Publishing” help authors research journals, publisher agreements, author fees, and funder requirements to choose the best journal to achieve the widest possible dissemination of your research.

The open access model of publishing has invited the rethinking of methods used for measuring scholarly impact. Alternative metrics or “altmetrics” incorporate social media and online usage statistics beyond the journal literature to assess the impact of individual scholarly works rather than the journals in which they are published. Learn more about altmetrics by watching a short introductory video to the PLoS Altmetrics Project. The guide also provides access to a variety of traditional journal metrics and altmetrics tools, including SCImago Journal Rank, F1000 Journal Rankings, ResearchID, and Total Impact.

Visit the Scholarly Communication LibGuide as a reference for scholarly publishing information. You can arrange for consultations or department presentations by contacting Andrea Ketchum at ketchum@pitt.edu or 412-648-9757.

~ Andrea Ketchum

Linking to Full-Text Articles Just Got Easier!

HSLS has implemented a new tool that allows you to access the full text of articles with one click. That tool, called a link solver, is available in HSLS subscription databases, such as PubMed and Ovid, and provides direct access from an article’s citation to the full text of that article.

To see the tool in action, Pitt and UPMC users can scroll through search results and look for the dark blue  button. Depending on the database, you may have to click on the article title before seeing the button.

Clicking on the button will lead you directly to the full-text view of an article if HSLS subscribes to the e-journal.

For various reasons, some articles have not been set up for full-text access. In these cases, clicking on the button will lead you to the screen below, indicating “It was not possible to link directly to the full text of this item. Please select from the options below:”

Legend:

  • Search PITTCat for the Health Sciences for this journal
    PITTCat is the online catalog of the University of Pittsburgh and is the most comprehensive source for locating e-journal articles available at Pitt.
  • Request this item from HSLS Document Delivery
    If HSLS does not have an article in print or online, a copy can be requested through this service for a small fee. This service is available only to those with University of Pittsburgh computer accounts.
  • Export full PubMed citation to RefWorks
    Easily move this PubMed citation into your RefWorks citation manager
  • Questions? Ask a Librarian at HSLS
    Not sure what to do next? Use this form to submit questions to HSLS reference librarians. Expect a response usually within 24 hours.
  • Links not working? Report a Problem
    Let us know if you have trouble accessing this resource, so we can quickly troubleshoot the problem.

~ Julia Jankovic

Explore Genomic Resources from the National Human Genome Research Institute

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) is one of 27 centers and institutes comprising the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Initially established in 1989 as the National Center for Human Genome Research, the NHGRI is evolving into a multidivisional organization that includes Genome Sciences, Genomic Medicine, and Genomics and Society, among others.

In February 2011, NHGRI sponsored a symposium, “A Decade with the Human Genome Sequence,” and published a strategic plan, “Charting a Course for Genomic Medicine from Base Pairs to Bedside.” This was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first analysis of the draft human genome as well as articulate a new vision for the future of genomics research and describe the path towards an era of genomic medicine.

The NHGRI Web site is a rich source of genomics-related information. Of particular interest are the videos-on-demand. Current Topics in Genome Analysis is a lecture series covering contemporary areas in genomics and bioinformatics. This year’s series was held from January–April. Available resources include a syllabus, handouts, and videos of all the lectures, which were recorded live at the NIH and presented by leading genomics scientists. Among the topics covered are genome browsers, genomics of microbes and microbiomes, pharmacogenomics, and large-scale expression analysis.

The videos for these lectures are located on GenomeTV, which is the YouTube channel for the NHGRI. It currently features 27 playlists and 352 videos, including not only the aforementioned lecture series, but also “Genomics in Medicine Lectures,” “Next-Gen 101,” “1000 Genomes Tutorial,” “Genetics for Epidemiologists,” and many videos from small genomics conferences, workshops, and meetings.

It is easy to stay up-to-date on new NHGRI content by subscribing to the GenomeTV YouTube channel, twitter feed, or Facebook page.

For additional information and training on a variety of genomics resources, e-mail Ansuman Chattopadhyay at ansuman@pitt.edu or Carrie Iwema at iwema@pitt.edu of the HSLS Molecular Biology Information Service.

Parts of this article were reprinted from NHGRI.

~ Carrie Iwema

Treasures from the Rare Book Room: William Harvey’s Anatomical Treatise on the Movement of the Heart and Blood

William Harvey (1578-1657), physician to the English kings James I and Charles I, is best known for his work, Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis, published in Frankfurt in 1628. This book is considered to be one of the most important texts in the history of medicine. Physiologists before Harvey knew that blood is not a stationary fluid, but it was Harvey who clearly demonstrated for the first time that blood is pumped by the heart and moves in circular fashion.

The Falk Library collection includes a pocket-sized edition of this famous work published in the Netherlands in 1648. The book is only 12 cm tall and easily fits in the palm of your hand. It is bound in plain white vellum and has a brief handwritten title on the spine.

It is a beautiful example of the bookbinding method called limp vellum. With this method, a text block is laced into folded vellum covers made from a single piece of smooth and durable animal skin. Vellum, unlike leather, is bleached and not subjected to any tanning processes. In the 17th century, it was a simple and popular way of binding functional books. Though viewed with disdain by historians and called “cheap and temporary,” this style of binding attracted new appreciation after Christopher Clarkson, a book conservator working on books damaged by flooding in the city of Florence in 1966, discovered that books bound in vellum not only survived the flood better, but vellum also provided much better protection to the text block than leather binding.

Vellum is best stored in a stable environment with controlled temperature and humidity, such as that in Falk Library’s Rare Book Room.

Provenance of this book is unclear. The last traceable owner was James D. Heard, who purchased the book in 1893 and brought it to Pittsburgh when he joined the faculty of the School of Medicine around 1909 until his retirement in 1953.

The book can be viewed in the Rare Book Room by appointment.

~ Gosia Fort

PubMed’s New Citation Manager Option

Are you a PubMed searcher who uses EndNote, RefWorks, or another citation manager? Saving your PubMed search results just got easier.

Citation manager has been added to the list of possible destinations for your selected results. So now you can format and save your references to a file with one click.

In the Choose Destination dialog box, select Citation manager, and then click on the Create File button. Save the file, then switch over to EndNote or RefWorks and import the saved file as usual.

For more details, see pages 13-14 of the HSLS EndNote X4 Basics class workbook.

~ Patricia Weiss

HealthCAS Graduates Second Cohort of Students

The second cohort of 11 students in the Certificate of Advanced Study in Health Sciences Librarianship (HealthCAS) program received graduation certificates at a Capstone event held on May 19, 2012. The event was held at the University of Washington Health Sciences Library in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association (MLA) in Seattle. In addition to completing 12 credits of online coursework, each student conducted an applied research project over the course of the yearlong program, and submitted the results as a poster presentation at the MLA meeting. Ten poster submissions were accepted and presented at this meeting.

A third cohort of seven students is now enrolled in the program and progressing through the first course, Libraries in Health Care Environments. A student visit to the Pitt campus is planned for the week of June 18.

HealthCAS is funded by an initial three-year grant, now extended to a fourth year, to Pitt’s School of Information Sciences (iSchool) and HSLS from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The program consists of three semesters of online coursework. Each semester covers one four-credit course: (1) Libraries in Health Care Environments, (2) Collections and Resources in Health Care Environments, and (3) Reference Services and Instruction in Health Care Environments. The independent research project spans all three semesters. The HealthCAS curriculum is developed and taught by a team of HSLS faculty librarians, who have adjunct iSchool faculty appointments.

Further information about the course is available from the iSchool or HSLS.

~ Ester Saghafi

NN/LM MAR Hosts Advisory Committee Meetings

April was a busy month for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Middle Atlantic Region (NN/LM MAR) as we hosted our first in-person advisory committee meetings. As a new regional medical library, the HSLS has created an advisory structure that includes health sciences and public librarians, unaffiliated health professionals, and representatives from community and health consumer groups, representing the diversity of Network members within our four-state region of Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

The advisory structure consists of a Regional Advisory Committee, which serves as an oversight committee, and four Special Advisory Groups: (1) Outreach to Health Professionals and Public Health Workers, (2) Consumer Health, (3) Hospital Libraries, and (4) Resource and Academic Libraries. Committee members are geographically dispersed and come from varied backgrounds and areas of expertise, such as resource and academic libraries, hospital libraries, mental health professions, public health leaders, public libraries, patient educators, and community based organizations.

Collectively, these groups will assist the NN/LM MAR in planning, coordinating, and implementing a variety of network and outreach programs. Committee members serve as ambassadors throughout the region and help identify target audiences for outreach programs in order to improve access to biomedical information for health professionals and the public; promote active participation by health professionals, consumer groups, health sciences and public librarians; advise on regional priorities; and recommend communication and training strategies to reach those within the region.

Participants in this first round of meetings were very enthusiastic, and gave the NN/LM MAR staff useful feedback and recommendations for the next contract year. Future quarterly committee meetings will be conducted virtually. Minutes from each of these meetings will be posted on the NN/LM MAR Web site.

~ Renae Barger, NN/LM MAR Executive Director